Can a Dementia Drug Help Your Long COVID Brain Fog? with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

Can a Dementia Drug Help Your Long COVID Brain Fog? with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

00:00

So should you take Donepezil for your Long COVID? Welcome back to the EnergyMD podcast where we help you resolve your Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome naturally so that you can get back to living your best life. I'm Evan Hirsch. So a new analysis from Japan found that Donepezil, a dementia drug, may improve fatigue and depression in a specific subgroup of Long COVID patients.

00:25

About 72% of the patients in their trial had reactivated HHV6B, a herpes virus that produces a protein called SITH1. So stay with me here. This protein appears to lower acetylcholine levels in the brain. Acetylcholine is a brain chemical that helps with memory, focus, and clear thinking. It's also the main chemical messenger for the part of your nervous system known as the parasympathetic nervous system that helps you rest and digest.

00:56

When it drops, you get brain fog, poor memory and fatigue. Donepezil works by increasing acetylcholine, which can help bring back that mental clarity and calm. So this is interesting research, but Donepezil was already tested for Long COVID in 2025 and it did not help. So that JAMA trial found no benefit in 110 patients. So why is this different? The 2026 analysis is not a new study. It's the same trial, reanalyzed by the same researchers splitting patients by whether or not they had the HHV6B biomarker, the SITH1. But even in the subgroup where it seemed to help, the results were mixed.

01:39

It improved fatigue and one measure of depression, but not another. And in patients without the biomarker, Donepezil actually tended to make symptoms worse. So this is not something to try without knowing your biomarker status.

01:58

So this is the right idea, right? Matching a treatment to the right person, being as specific as possible. But even if it holds up, it's still only addressing one symptom that comes from one infection, not the infection itself. So the real story is not the drug, it's the virus.

02:17

COVID reactivated a herpes virus, this HHV6B that was already living quietly inside you. And that reactivated virus is producing a protein that is draining the acetylcholine from your brain, which is why you feel so exhausted and foggy. But even if we could test everyone for SITH1 and give them Donepezil without side effects, it would still only touch a small part of what HHV6 is doing. That virus is doing a lot more than just lowering your acetylcholine. So Donepezil is missing the full picture. So let's take a step back. Let's look at the bigger picture.

02:54

So if reactivated viruses are driving your symptoms, the real question is why those viruses reactivated in the first place and why they are not resolving. So the reason is not usually a single cause. That is why I do not just target one virus or one symptom. In our program, we address all of the latent viruses, including HHV6, and we look at exactly what is keeping them from clearing. Usually the answer is the Toxic 5.

03:27

So in my experience, and according to the research, those with Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome have all of the Toxic 5 to some degree, and we have to address all of them to increase our chances of full resolution. So the Toxic 5 are heavy metals, chemicals, molds, infections, including the spike protein, and nervous system dysfunction, otherwise known as neurological lock. So Dr. Patrick Porter, founder of BrainTap calls it neurological lock when the nervous system gets stuck in survival mode and cannot access the restorative states it needs to heal. So the spike protein was never the only thing making you sick. It was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

04:08

If this is making sense to you and you're interested in learning more about how I address the Toxic 5, head over to fixyourfatigue.com and watch my latest masterclass. The link is in the description, but let's jump back in. Let's talk about a case study. So I had a client named Jennifer, we'll call her Jennifer, who had been dealing with Long COVID for over two years. She had signs of mold exposure from an apartment with water damage. She had lived with chronic infections.

04:36

She had some signs of Lyme disease. Her nervous system was locked in fight, flight, or freeze. She had tried a number of treatments that gave her temporary relief, but nothing lasted.

04:47

So when we addressed all of the Toxic 5 using binders, natural chelators for heavy metals and chemicals, binders for mold, herbal tinctures to help her body fight chronic infections like HHV6 and Epstein-Barr virus, and doing the nervous system retraining practices, including the vagus nerve stimulation, her energy started to come back. Her brain fog lifted. She was sleeping through the night again.

05:08

She did have some die-off along the way, which is a normal part of the process, but she was able to get answers to her questions quickly so she could pivot, keep moving through the program with minimal die-off. You know, we guarantee a response within two business days in our program, and she had face-to-face time with me almost every single week. So she always knew where to turn, she knew where to get support, so she could go through the process as gracefully as possible. And that is the thing about this work.

05:37

What I have found is that it takes at least 12 months to address all these toxins and infections, move them out of the body. And the magic really happens around the month nine, which was Jennifer's experience as well. You know, when you remove the total body burden of all these toxins and infections and you're retraining the nervous system, it just takes time before all of a sudden the immune system comes back online.

05:55

The nervous system starts to function better. Your energy starts to improve. Your mitochondria starts to improve. So when you address 99% of all the known causes of Long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmunity, and neuropathies, success is gonna be a lot more likely.

06:14

So if you wanna learn more about how I help people resolve their fatigue and Long COVID and brain fog by addressing all of the Toxic 5, head over to fixyourfatigue.com and watch my free masterclass. The link is in the description.

06:31

I share the real reason why people are dealing with chronic fatigue, the surprising flaws in common lab tests, and the four-step system I use to help people clear the exhaustion and the brain fog. Thanks so much for watching, and may you be blessed with true healing.

06:48

I hope you learned something on today's podcast. If you did, please share it with your friends and family and leave us a five-star review on iTunes. It's really helpful for getting this information out to more people who desperately need it. Sharing all the experts I know and love and the powerful tips I have is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Thanks for being part of my community. Just a reminder, this podcast is for educational purposes only.

07:17

and is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. It is provided with the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. Thanks for listening and have an amazing day.